Bars on the windows, 'dungeons' lining the corridors, a courtyard cut off from the outside world: going to prison has never been one of the practices laid down in company travel policies... However, sometimes - just sometimes - it's a good idea to break this ban. Provided, of course, that the place has first been transformed into a top-of-the-range hotel. In Roermond, in the Netherlands, the Arresthuis, for many years the country's most unfriendly prison, has escaped into a more clement future since it was refurbished by the Dutch Van der Valk group. Admittedly, the décor is reminiscent of the original austerity of the place and the suites are named after "judges", "lawyers" or "directors", but the parallel with the past ends there. Its 105 cells have become 40 rooms with a very contemporary style, and instead of hacks, attentive staff now look after guests' well-being.
Very friendly prison doors
With their (in)hospitable function, prisons were perhaps less predisposed than others to be converted to the hotel trade. Yet the case of the Arresthuis in Roermond is far from unique. Other prisons have turned their backs on the prison world and turned to high-end hospitality. In 1996, the Canadian Four Seasons group, renowned for its luxury, moved into a former prison in Istanbul, ideally located just a stone's throw from Hagia Sophia and Topkapi. Behind its original façade, once you have passed through the heavy entrance doors, the Four Seasons Sultanahmet seduces you with its magnificence, a far cry from a Midnight Express. And if artists and writers now frequent the place, it's no longer for their dissident thoughts, but for their own pleasure. In Boston too, the old Charles Street Jail has changed a great deal since the days when its residents included Malcolm X and Sacco and Vanzetti. Rehabilitated and appropriately renamed The Liberty, this member of Starwood Hotels' Luxury Collection has become one of the city's most popular establishments, almost a destination in itself.
Always on the lookout for new experiences for its customers, the hotel industry is taking its turn in surprising places. In a calmer style, business travellers can play choirboy in desecrated churches - the Sozo in Nantes, the Hermitage Gantois in Lille, Martin's Patershof in Mechelen - or put their suitcases down in former banks - the Hôtel de Rome in Berlin, the Banke in Paris. They can also practise their scales in a former music school, since the Amsterdam Conservatory of Music was reborn as an ultra-chic hotel in 2011. Housed in a late 19th-century neo-Gothic building originally designed to house the headquarters of the Dutch savings bank, the Design Hotel Conservatorium has been given a sober, modernist makeover by Italian designer Piero Lissoni.
These reincarnations come to serve the great metropolises and their heritage. "It would be a shame to demolish places that are part of the city's history because they no longer serve their purpose. People cannot detach themselves from their past, cut themselves off from their roots. This creates trauma. It's the same for a city. In Europe, the architectural heritage has already been damaged by the Second World War. So let's stop destroying it, stop turning it upside down with these blunt works of art, and instead make it evolve towards today's desires.says Jacques Cholet of DTACC, a firm that has specialised in this type of project for some twenty years.
Of course, the idea of converting prestigious sites into hotels is not new, especially in very wealthy tourist destinations. The Paradores in Spain and Pousadas in Portugal, a host of convents in Latin America and former aristocratic residences listed as Historic Hotels of Europe are all there to prove it. In fact, hotels in surprising locations are not exactly new: Andrée Putman's renovation of a water tower in Cologne - the legendary Im Wasserturm - dates back to 1990. That was then.
Current renovations
But today, the time seems even more propitious for this kind of transformation for major hotel groups and property investors alike. States, local authorities, companies, churches... they are all reviewing their property holdings and putting them up for auction. Either because it would be too expensive to renovate administrative buildings that have been overtaken by the march of time; or, in the case of churches, because society is becoming more secular; or, more prosaically, to recoup some cash. With the sale to Qatari Diar of the international conference centre on Avenue Kléber - the future Peninsula Paris - the coffers of the French Republic have swelled by 456 million euros. A cyclical movement of time, the building will return to its original occupation: this branch of the Quai d'Orsay, where the agreements putting an end to the Vietnam War were signed, and which was the headquarters of the military high command of the German armies in France, was already a palace before the Second World War, the luxurious Majestic.
Listed facade
In France, 2013 saw two other public heritage monuments go into 'hotel' mode. Designed by Jean-Philippe Nuel (see interview), the Hôtel-Dieu in Marseille was transformed into the InterContinental, which opened in April. Behind its listed façade overlooking the Old Port, the eighteenth-century building now houses 194 rooms, a gourmet restaurant, a conference centre, a Clarins spa and, above all, a sumptuous terrace overlooking the city. A winning renovation for everyone. On the one hand, the IHG group is adding a trendy flagship to its luxury brand, and on the other, the people of Marseilles can rediscover this emblematic part of their city by going there for lunch or a drink. Last but not least, the city of Marseilles is also gaining a new beacon for tourists. And the 2013 European Capital of Culture has every intention of capitalising on the Hôtel-Dieu to promote its upmarket image to international travellers and meeting organisers.
Something new from something old
Giving themselves the stature of a dynamic metropolis and, at the same time, giving back to the city a heritage that has fallen into disrepair: this is what elected representatives are looking for when they entrust their jewels to the hands of hotel investors. In Nantes, for example, the courthouse has been given a new lease of life as the Radisson Blu. "The building had been unoccupied since the opening of a new courthouse on the Ile de Nantes, designed by Jean Nouvel. Bringing it up to standard, particularly in terms of energy efficiency, would have been very expensive. What were the alternatives? We chose to go ahead with this project because Nantes had no luxury hotel, which was a disadvantage when it came to hosting international conferences.says Bernard Gagnet, Vice-Chairman of the Loire-Atlantique County Council, responsible for general administration. Life around here is changing. Before, the square next to the courthouse was drab. But since then, the park has been landscaped. A gendarmerie building is being refurbished, including flats in the former stables and upmarket shops.
AXA Real Estate for the investment, Altarea Cogedim's real estate know-how and Radisson's hotel expertise, DTACC for the architecture and Jean-Philippe Nuel for the interior design: a large number of people were involved in the renovation of the district court, and in the end they delivered an extremely contemporary verdict. The immense Salle des Pas Perdus, a striking space for defendants to enter, now houses a lobby with vast, brightly coloured sofas. The hotel's restaurant, L'Assise, occupies the former courtroom, with an iconoclastic wine cellar in place of the presiding judge's seat.
While the result often leaves a lasting impression, making something new out of something old is far from a smooth ride. "Originally, the building was protected from the hustle and bustle of the city by a monumental staircase. This isolated the courtrooms from the riots that were taking place in Nantes at the time. This flight of steps was not ideal for a hotel. We therefore had to create a gap in the base of the building so that we could enter at ground level, with a reception area at street level before climbing up to the lobby, 4.5 metres above ground level." explains Jacques Cholet. To ensure the economic equilibrium of the establishment, rooms had to be created under the roof, in addition to those that took their natural place in the old offices. Finally, behind the scenes, a whole technical system had to be created to ensure the smooth running of the hotel.
These complex metamorphoses are often quite a challenge. Five years, a host of craftsmen and 100 million dollars: the resurrection of the Four Seasons Gresham Palace in Budapest, a sublime Secession palace that had been abandoned, mobilised a great deal of energy. The opening of Martin's Patershof in Mechelen was no easy feat either. The hotel, one of only four in Belgium to form part of the Warwick collection, is located in a former church of the Friars Minor. "We're steeped in Judeo-Christian culture and we have to avoid sacrilege. We also had to deal with the requirements of Monuments et Sites".says Huguette Martin-Fraipont, head of projects and interior design at Martin's Hotels.
Walls with stories
In the case of Martin's Patershof, there were numerous requirements: the original stained glass windows, columns and choir had to be preserved; the large rose window had to be as visible as possible, etc. In addition, the structure designed to support the five storeys and 56 bedrooms did not have to rest on the walls. "Finally, to make matters worse, it had to be removable in case the site ever returned to its original function.explains Huguette Martin-Fraipont. The result is a real technological feat. It took two years of research in collaboration with Arcelor Mittal Belgium to develop a unique metal structure covered with a special, ultra-light concrete 10 cm thick. All these efforts have been justly rewarded. "In the end, customers love it. We tell them a story, the walls speak".Huguette Martin-Fraipont is delighted. And if they speak, it's above all a language of today. The décor is very contemporary, with sober colours and noble materials, plus a few winks, such as these headboards inspired by Gothic ogives.
As a link between the past and the future - which is so appropriate in the hotel industry today - the most cutting-edge design is the common thread running through this reappropriation of heritage. In Berlin, for example, Patricia Urquiola has redesigned the former Danish embassy with a subtle blend of trendy sophistication, avant-garde furniture and old-fashioned elegance, out of respect for this 30s building with its slightly austere appearance. Opened at the start of the year, Das Stue joins the list of 'heritage' Design Hotels such as the Kruisheren in Maastricht - an ex-monastery dating from the 15th century - and the Conservatorium in Amsterdam.
New Heritage Nights
The list of endangered masterpieces revisited as hotels is far from closed. In France in particular, the Strasbourg police station is being transformed into the Marriott Renaissance, due to open in 2014. "The building, which is severe on the outside, encloses the former town house of the town governor. We're going to break with that to make people want to step into the porch and discover this beautiful 18th-century building.says Jacques Cholet, whose firm is working on the project. In Lyon, business travellers will be able to discover a new InterContinental in 2016, again in a former Hôtel-Dieu designed by Soufflot along the banks of the Rhône. It's a huge project, but it's not just about hotels: with a museum, offices and restaurants, an entire district is about to be reborn.
Paris will also see the revival of several of these myths, 'hotelised' by big names: the Samaritaine, thanks to the LVMH Cheval Blanc hotel chain, and the Molitor swimming pool, partly transformed into an MGallery and due to open during the next Roland Garros. And then, and then... two former night spots are also on the programme. Les Bains Douches, a former meeting place for VIP parties, is being redesigned as a hotel by designer Vincent Bastie, while the Louvre post office, familiar to latecomers to the cachet-de-la-poste-faisant-foi, is set to become part of a hotel project as part of a modernisation project led by architect Dominique Perrault.
But, after these buildings of a certain age, has the time now come to rehabilitate the must-sees of modern architecture? The legendary TWA terminal at New York's JFK airport is no longer compliant with new safety regulations, and will soon be transformed into an arty new place to stay. The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has chosen Andre Balazs to transform this futuristic work of art, all curves and raw concrete, designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen. Already at work in the Meatpacking District, his Standard Hotel is gracing the pages of fashion magazines. The design of the 21st century will soon be rediscovering the best of the 60s...
